Fluid clarifying apparatus



Sept. 8, 1931. Q v. FUQUA 1,822,021

FLUID OLARIFYING APPARATUS Filed May 17. 1929 7 2 INVENTOR: g gz Clarence VFU ua,

A TTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES CLARENCE V. FUQUA, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI v FLUID CLARIFYING APPARATUS Application filed May 17, 1929. Serial No. 363,737.

The present invention relates to fiuid-treating apparatus, with particular reference to apparatus designed for use 1n the filtering and clarifying of fluids as required, for example,

in the reclaiming of petroleum products after the have been used in the cleaning industry.

ne of the primary objects of the invention is to devise an improved and simplified construction which is at the sametime more rapid and efficient in its operation.

One of the features of the improvements comprises a filter structure in which a lowpressure mode of operation is employed in connection with a filtering cloth so con- 5 structed and mounted that the same may be readily and thoroughly cleaned; the filtering structure further comprises a roll or tubular member in which the flow. of liquid, during the filtering action, takes place from the exterior inwardly through the cloth to the interior of said roll or tubular member. Improved details also relate to the structure of said filtering member, the method of supporting and securing the filtering cloth, and the means for confining the flow of the fluid throughout its course through the apparatus as just referred to.

It is also sought to provide a construction in which the fluid being treated is not only so effectively filtered but is also automatically maintained at the desired temperature by heating means hereinafter described.

With the foregoing general objects in view, as well as minor objects as will appear in the course of the detail description, the invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating one form of construction suitable for embodying my proposed improvements, after which those features and combinations deemed to be novel will be set forth and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional perspective illustrating an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention, certain portions being broken away to disclose parts otherwise hidden; and

Figure 2 is a detail showing an edge view of the web of filtering cloth used in the filter structure.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, this illustrates the improved apparatus as comprising a receptacle or tank 5 provided with a concave bottom 6 fitted centrally with a drain pipe 7 having a valve 8. Within the top of the tank or receptacle 5 is mounted a concave head or cover member 10 having an adjustable central handle or knob element 11 surrounded by a plurality of openings 12. The outer edge of this cover member 10 is engaged with packing material 14 carried in a channel formed by an angle ring 15 secured to the interior of the tank. For effecting a packing seal the knob element 11 is engaged by a cross-bar 17 carried by the top of the tank where it is secured by wing nuts 18 and bolts 19, the latter being swiveled in brackets 20 at the outside of the tank and adapted to be swung into engagement with the forked ends of the bar 17.

The under face of the cover member 10 is provided with a ring or flange 21 surrounding the perforations 12 and supporting a cylinder or drum member 22 in centrally suspended relation within the tank 5, 76 the upper portion of the drum being also provided with perforations 23, and the lower end of the drum being elevated some distance above the bottom 6 of the tank. Surrounding this drum is a cylinder of corruso gated material (such as sheet metal), the corrugations of which form longitudinally extending spacing fins 24 having substantially vertical line contact with the filter cloth 25 which is wrapped around said cylinder fins 24, thereby forming upflow passages 26 be tween the cloth and fins 24 for the filtered product.

As represented in Figure 2, the filter cloth is a single continuous web of suitable cloth material, wound continuously around the fins 24 to produce several thicknesses or plies of the filtering material. The upper and lower ends of the passages 26 are closed by terminal flanges 28 projecting from the ends of the drum member 22 and providing shoulders against which the edges of the cloth 25 are secured by means of suitable straps or bands 30 or the like.

The fluid to be treated is admitted to the interior of the drum member 22 by way of a supply pipe 32 extending up through the center of the drum, and provided with curved branch pipes 33 terminating in discharge outlets adapted to discharge in directions approximately circumferential of the drums interior. Within the upper end of the drum is also positioned a conical closure member 34.- having its lower edge located below the perforations 23 of the drum, and the apex oi the member 34 being connected with a pipe 35 provided with a valve 36 for regulating the volume of air which is trapped within the air pocket space 37 above the level of the liquid within said closure member.

Any desired form of heating means may be utilized for warming the contents of the tank when in use, such as a steam coil 40 provided with inlet and outlet connections 41 and 42, respectively, and also with any practical form of automatic thermostatic control device 43,-a thermometer instrument 44 being also attached to the tank to facilitate the accurate setting of the thermostatic control.

In the operation of the apparatus, the liqui d to be treated is admitted through the pipe 32 and discharged by its branches 33 approximately circumferentially within the drum 22, thereby tending to impart a whirling movement to the contents of the drum. Since the space within this drum is closed at its upper end by the conical closure member 34. the liquid is obliged to follow the course indicated by the arrows, namely, downward within the drum 22, thence outward and upward between the drum and sides of the tank; as the top of this outer space is closed by the cover member 10 and its ring or flange 21, the liquid can leave said space only by way of the fin passages 24 after passing through the filtering material 25. From these passages the fluid is discharged by way of the openings 23 into the chamber beneath the cover member 10 through the openings 12 of which the final filtered product emerges and is conducted ofl by a pipe 50 ready for use or storage.

A practical and efficient apparatus is thus provided for carrying out all the desired objects of the invention. An eflicient separating action is produced by the whirling movement of the liquid in the central'chamber where most of the foreign matter is precipitated and is collected at the bottom 6 as illustrated. The filtering action takes place by a movement of the liquid from the outside of the filter structure inward, into the passages 26,- the fins 24 serving to maintain the filter cloth 25 in proper distended relation by a minimum extent of content with the cloth, so that the effective filtering area of the cloth is maintained at a maximum. A sufiicient capacity is maintained for the liquid above the conical closure member 34 for back-wash purposes, to clean the filter cloth of clinging material, which maybe carried out by intermittently opening the drain valve 8 or the air cock- 36,- the air pocket 37 normally serving to cushion and render the flow of liquid through the apparatus practically even and uniform.

A very important feature of the invention lies in the provision of a continuous web of cloth material for the filter structure, whereby any desired numbcr of layers or plies of the filtering material may be employed according to the length of webbing used, which is simply wrapped around the corrugations or fins 24, whereas for removal and cleaning, the cloth is simply detached by unfastening of the straps 30, and the cleaning quickly and thoroughly accomplished by the'mere shaking of the continuous sheet of material, a much more convenient and efficient as well as quicker operation than can be carried out with the usual type of filter bag so commonly employed.

The operation of the apparatus is both efficient and rapid for low-pressure work, and the construction is simple and compact and has no parts that are likely to get out of order.

While I have herein illustrated and described one practical and efficient form of construction adapted to constitute a suitable embodiment of my'proposed improvements, it is apparent that various minor changes in detail may be made while still embodying the spirit of said improvements; I therefore desire to reserve the right to make all such changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described comprising a receptacle, a drum suspended within the receptacle in spaced relation to the bottom and sides thereof, filtering cloth surrounding said drum, means for maintaining said cloth in spaced relation to the drum, a closure for the upper end portion of the drum, said drum being imperforate below said closure, and means for conducting the liquid to be treated to the interior of said drum below said closure, thereby confining the flow of the fluid during the filtering action to an upward inward flow from the exterior of the filtering cloth and through the latter.

2. Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described comprising a receptacle, a drum of for the most part imperforate construction suspended within the receptacle in spaced relation to the bottom and sides thereportion of the drum and confining the flow of the fluid during the filtering action to an upward and inward course from the exterior of the filtering cloth and through the latter.

3. Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described, comprising a receptacle, a drum suspended within the receptacle in spaced relation to the bottom and sides thereof, filtering cloth surrounding the drum, in elements interposed between said drum and filtering cloth for spacing the latter from the drum and providing longitudinal vertical passages for the filtered fluid, means closing the lower ends of said passages, and a closure member for the upper end portion of the drum, thereby confining the flow of the fluid during the filtering action to an upward inward course from the exterior of the filtering cloth and into said fin passages.

4. Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described, comprising a receptacle, a drum suspended within the receptacle and spaced from the bottom and sides thereof, filtering cloth surrounding the drum, finelements spacing said filtering cloth from the drum and having substantially vertical-line contact with the cloth for providing vertical longitudinal passages for the filtered fluid, means closing the lower ends of said passages, and a closure member for the upper end portion of the drum, thereby confining the flow of the fluid during the filtering action to an upward inward course from the exterior of the filtering cloth and through the latter into said vertical fin passages.

5. Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described, comprising a receptacle, a drum suspended within the receptacle and spaced from the bottom and sides thereof, filtering cloth surrounding the drum, a spacing member of corrugated material interposed between said drum and filtering cloth and providing vertical-longitudinal passages for the filtered fluid, means closing the lower ends of said passages, and a closure member for the upper end portion of the drum, thereby confining the flow of the fluid during the filtering action to an upward inward course thence upward through said s ace and the perforations of said cover mem er.

7 Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described comprising a receptacle, a drum suspended within the receptacle and spaced from the bottom and sides thereof, filtering material surrounding the drum in spaced relation to the exterior face thereof, a closure for the upper interior portion of the drum, means for conducting the fluid to be treated to the upper interior portion of the drum beneath said closure and discharging said fluid circumferentially adjacent to the interior face of the drum, and means for closing the upper end of the space between the filtering material and the receptacle and confining the discharge of the filtered fluid to the upper end of the space between. said drum and filtering material.

8-. Liquid-treating apparatus of the character described comprising a receptacle, a drum suspended within the receptacle in spaced relation to the bottom and sides thereof, a filter structure surrounding said drum, means for conducting the liquid to be treated to the upper interior portion of said drum, a

steamheating coil arranged within the space within the receptacle surrounding said drum, and automatic regulating means associated with said coil and responsive to temperature changes within the receptacle.

lnwitness whereof I hereunto afiix my signature,

CLARENCE v, FUQUA.

from the exterior of the filtering cloth and through the latter into said vertical passages.

6. Fluid-treating apparatus of the character described, comprising a receptacle provided with an internal annular'packing structure near the upper end thereof, a cover member provided with central perforations and having its margin supported on said packing structure, a drum suspended within the receptacle from sald cover member and-spaced from the bottom and sides of the receptacle,-

a cloth filter structure surrounding the drum in spaced relation thereto, and means confining the flow of fluid during the filter action to a course from the exterior of the filter structure and through the same into the space between said structure and the drum and 

